Dot the Strawberry

Stair-Psychology

2005-08-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

As I was climbing the stairs to the second story of my house, a thought popped into my head. What if there was such a thing as stair-psychology? I mean, you can learn a lot just by observing how people go up flights of stairs. My mom, for example, goes up stairs one at a time, each step slow and heavy. Therefore, I can conclude that she is careful and thorough, going through life steadily and not missing a moment. She has a wall of inner strength, as demonstrated by her strong step. My father is the exact opposite, practically leaping up the stairs three at a time, and reaching the top in mere seconds. This represents his constant impatience and need for speed. Time is valuable to him, and every second that he spends climbing up the stairs is a second wasted for him. And you want to know how I climb up the stairs? Like a monkey. If there is a wall on one side and a handrail on the other or if there are walls on both sides, I like to sway back and forth, pushing myself off the walls, as I run up the stairs. Sometimes, I swing on the handrails or propel myself forward, pushing off the wall. From this, I can tell (though I don't need to) that my personality is fun-loving and carefree. I need to spend every moment making the best out of life and laughing along with myself.

Now it's your turn to play self-psychologist. Think about how you walk up the stairs and how that relates to your personality. If you haven't done so in a long time (die evil elevators!), I suggest you go climb up the stairs just for the fun of it. It's great exercise and it never hurts to learn and understand more about the person that you are!

Coming soon...Reverse Stair-Psychology! What does the way you go DOWN stairs have to say about your personality?

It's Aurelie, writing to wish all of you a stair-tastic day! (Pardon the lame word, there.)

Ultra-Condensed Version of War of the Worlds

2005-08-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

(Tripods driven by aliens come out of the ground. Lots of screaming. People die.)

Tom Cruise: (at lots of unsafe places) I think this spot looks safe from the tripods.

Dakota Fanning: (Screams)

Tripods: Think again, Tom.

(Lots of dangerous things happen, almost getting the main characters killed.)

Aliens: *cough, cough* No, I've got the flu! (dies)

Audience: Nice going, Stephen.

Stephen Spielberg: Oops.

THE END!

War of the Worlds (2005)

2005-08-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

Ray Ferrier (Cruise) and his daughter (Fanning) run from aliens in War of the Worlds (2005)

I already know this is going to be a dreadfully long movie review, but bear with me, here. I have lots to say about this movie. For those of you who live your lives, blissfully ignorant of any current news, I'll explain the plot of this highly-publicized sci-fi flick. The plot is actually quite simple. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a depressed divorced father whose ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her wealthy new husband drop off their kids at Ray's place in NYC while she visits her parents (who by the way are Gene Barry and Ann Robinson from the 1953 original War of the Worlds) in Boston. A mysterious thunderstorm appears and the lightening transports the Martians into giant tripods that the Martians had buried deep underground millions of years ago before humans were on Earth. So all over the planet, giant tripods are bursting out of the ground. At first, the humans respond by gazing at them in wonder (I didn't understand that. If giant 200 ft. alien tripods came out of the ground, I would be running for my life, not filming the whole thing with a camcorder like some of the extras do.) But then the tripods use their laser beams to vaporize the humans and turn them into dust, and the humans aren't so curious anymore. They run for their lives while the tripods, with excellent aim manage to zap about every human in NYC except for Ray and his family. They immediately flee NYC and head for Ray's ex-wife's house. She's not there, but they take refuge in the basement for a while. They manage to flee the Martians for quite some time, eventually hiding in a basement with a man named Ogilvy (Tim Robbins) who goes insane at the site of a tripod sucking the blood out of a man outside. Ray kills Ogilvy because he was making too much noise, but Ray and his daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning) get sucked into a tripod cage, anyway. Ray almost gets killed, but the other people in the cage work together to help (an optimistic thought in the middle of a dark movie?) and Ray blows up the tripod tentacle with a grenade. Then, all of the aliens die because they are not immune to all the deadly bacteria on Earth. So the humans win and Ray's family is reunited.

The things I enjoyed about the movie: I liked how Spielberg builds up the suspense at the beginning, with the thunderstorm. The tripods are horrifyingly awesome, and the chaos and destruction is fun for the first half an hour of the movie. The CGI looks real enough for my expectations, and the special effects add to the movie's chaos theme. Tom Cruise's performance is, for the most part, passable. His portrayal of the deadbeat dad is pretty accurate, I guess.

The not-so-good aspects of the movie: This movie does not deserve a PG-13 rating! The part where Rachel Ferrier is standing on the riverbank watching dead bodies float, and screaming her little head off, is gruesome, and the red weed is sick. The characters aren't fully likable, either. Ray's son, Robbie, is a totally unnecessary addition to the plot. He wants to go with the military for what reason? To go see the aliens up close and get himself killed? And don't get me started on the screaming Rachel. Also, there were gaping holes in the plot that left me confused. To anyone who has watched this movie and fully understood all of it: Can you answer some of my questions?

My Questions: Why do the aliens want our blood in the first place? What is red weed? If the aliens want our blood, then why did their tripods first vaporize the humans? Why did the aliens carefully probe the basement where Ray, Rachel, and Ogilvy were hiding? Wouldn't they have just smashed it down like they did with the other houses? What makes them so special that they deserve careful alien examination besides the fact that they managed to survive the extermination? What is the big deal with Ray's friends who missed the ferry? Why did Robbie want to go with the military? If all of the electricity in the world was gone, then how could the people in NYC use their camcorders to film the tripods? How did Robbie survive if he ran up the hill that exploded seconds later? Why is the grandparents' house left practically unharmed when the rest of the world is all torn down? Why am I asking so many questions?

Hope someone can answer those questions. My rating of the movie: 3 out of 5 stars. Hey, it did keep me entertained for 2 hours so I gotta give it some credit.

I guess I would recommend it to anyone who's over 13 years old. Or if you must bring a child with you, make sure they've seen scarier movies before.

This is Aurelie and I wish all of you a nice, alien-free day!

Ultra-Condensed Version of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2005-06-22T16:18:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt at a spoof of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which I wrote a movie review to a week ago. (Hint: Look below!!!) This summarizes the book in about 30 seconds so you can say you read it. Enjoy!

Some girls get a pair of pants. They have life experiences.

THE END!!!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2005-06-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, now in theaters!

Yesterday, my best friends and I celebrated my birthday! Yay! We went down to the cinema and watched a movie--guess which one! I hope you guessed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants seeing as how I plastered a picture of the movie poster at the top of this post. And you all know what's coming up next-yes, a nice, healthy movie review.

You can't say the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was a bad movie. It is bubble-gum goody-goody and everything that makes the world go round. It is about four best friends (wow, FRIENDS in a movie! we don't see that too often nowadays!) who have been best friends even before they were born, their mothers all meeting at an aerobics class. It is their first summer apart, and they are scared since those goody-goodies have never been separated before. By chance, or by destiny, whichever one you believe in, they happen across a "magical" pair of pants that fit every one of them despite the fact that they range from tall and skinny to short and chubby. They decide that these pants are special and that they should share them, expecting exciting things to happen to them while they are wearing the pants.

They go about their summers...the beautiful, shy, artistic Lena (Alexis Bledel) is in Greece, visiting her relatives. She plunges into a forbidden romance with Kostos Dounas (kinda like Romeo and Juliet only not as tragic) who is this fisherman-type guy and she finds herself having to choose between what is important to her family and what is important to herself. All I can tell you is that Lena is a bit selfish, yes.

Bridget (Blake Lively) or Bee, as her friends call her, spends her summer at an all-girls soccer camp in Baja California (which is actually part of Mexico! Who knew?) and immediately falls head over heels in love with Eric, one of the coaches. Only problem: "The girls aren't supposed to have flings with the coaches." But Bee is Bee and that won't stop her. Uh-oh.

Carmen (America Ferrera) who is one of the not-so-goody-goodies travels to South Carolina to spend some good ol' quality time with her dad, who divorced her mom when she was a child. But she's in for a nasty shock, once she finds out, that her dad is remarrying. Carmen doesn't handle the news very well, especially when she meets her new step-family, a bunch of goody-goody blondes and she feels out of place. All I can tell you is it involves a rock and window.

Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) feels depressed, since her other friends are living out their glamorous goody-goody lives in exciting places while she is stuck at home, working at the local Wal-mart (surprise! in this movie, they rename it Wallman's) and baby-sitting her younger siblings. She meets a leukemia patient named Bailey (Jenna Boyd) who makes her see life in a whole new way. Lots of tears shed. *sniff, sniff*

Like I said in the beginning, this movie isn't bad. Though I can't say I loved it. It was a great way to kill 2 hours and I took a little pleasure in seeing one of my favorite teeny-bopper book series come to life in a film, but it was missing something. There wasn't much depth to the actresses' acting and I was a little displeased with the screenplay and how much of it was totally different from the book. They didn't make the characters seem likable enough. Lena was okay, though she wasn't so shy to the point that we pity her, like in the book (they should have left Lena's story alone and not changed it). Bee came across as a little promiscuous, and Carmen came across as a mass of anger. Tibby was okay, though they could have spent a little more time on Tibby being unable to express her grief that Bailey was dying. More grief, more tears, better ratings.

My rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars. Next time lay off the layers of friendship junk. It oozed sappiness a little more than I could take.

Question of the Week

2005-05-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

This is the first Question of the Week in a long time. And the last one concerning American Idol...well, for a year, at least.

Now, then. With the results having come out, what do ya think? Now's the time to take your frustration out on us, or rave about your dreams having come true.

Question of the Week: What are your general feelings about the outcome of American Idol 2005?

a) Very, very disappointed! America screwed it up, again! Poor Bo! He should have won!

b) Very, very happy! Joyous, joyous, for Carrie has won!

c) Very, very confused. Can't work out my feelings. I liked both of them. I feel disappointed and happy at the same time.

d) Very, very aggravated. Why is this such a big deal?

e) Very, very clueless. I don't watch American Idol so I wouldn't know.

f) Very, very stupid. What is American Idol? Who am I?

g) Very, very hungry for cheese!!! YUMMYYYYY!!!

I'm having a hard time deciding. I'm either c) or g). Cheese ROX!!!

Ciao, everyone, and have a great Memorial Day!!!

2005-05-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

Carrie Underwood, Miss American Idol!!!

Our beloved Oklahoma gal is the new American Idol! Sorry that I've posted so late, but...no time! Anyway, Wednesday night was fabulous...for Carrie, that is. Not so sure about our poor Bo, here. The 12 American Idol finalists came back to perform at the finale, and put on quite a performance! The medley at the end was especially superb. The idols and their idols. Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts. Bo Bice and Lynard Skynard (I hope I spelled that right.). Anwar Robinson, Anthony Fedorov, and Kenny G. Constantine Maroulis, Jessica Sierra, Nadia Turner, and.....a rock band? Sorry, my cluelessness, is pathetic. And some more....

Ahhh...who cares. The main point is that Carrie won....Good luck to Carrie...and also to Bo in the future.

Now I can spare myself the embarrassment of having said those lame comments.

Ciao...Gawd, I'm blushing!!! The shame!!!

American Idol: The Top 3

2005-05-15T19:55:00.000-04:00

(From left to right): Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon

I think these three totally deserve the honor of being in the Top Three. They are the absolute best of the season and I think America did a great job of picking and choosing. Congrats to the Top 3!!!

Goodbye, Anthony!

2005-05-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

Goodbye, Anthony! We will miss you! Week 17 of American Idol has come and gone...

And now I won't be able to make my corny Anthony Potter jokes anymore (ex: Hey, Anthony! Where's your broomstick?) :( Oh, well. Most likely, he'll get himself a recording contract and a hefty amount of money in his pocket. Good luck to him in the future.

American Idol: Week 15 Performances

2005-04-27T16:07:00.000-04:00

The American Idol Top Six- Who is Next?

(Note: This picture was taken from last week. The outfits they are wearing are last week's outfits.)

Yes, another week. Another long post covering everything that happened. I'm sorry I didn't post last week's show but I just didn't have enough time. This week's theme is: Songs from 2000-2005. Yay!!! They'll be singing songs that I actually know the words to!

Carrie

Singing: Sang "When God Fearin' Women Get the Blues" by Martina McBride. As usual, the band seemed to drown her out at the beginning but she shows great vocal talent escpecially on those long notes at the end. A safe song that doesn't show off her great range but still a good performance.

Stage Presence: She can't dance so she kinda wiggles around on the stage, instead. She looked like she had a blast, though, especially at the end.

Appearance: Gosh, the makeup and hair stylists have done a great job of transforming her from a country bumpkin to a Hollywood gal. Her hair is super straight, though I don't like it as much as her natural, slightly wavy hair. I'm not a big fan of her outfit, hate the black jacket.

Overall Rating: 3 and a half stars (out of 5)

Singing: Sings "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw. He picked a safe song but it was good, all the same. Really shows off his hard rocker voice and delivers a great performance.

Stage Presence: As always, with his experience, manages a fun performance, striding around the stage and throwing in a few hair swings. Don't like how he tilts the microphone stand, but hey, it works.

Appearance: Ohmigod, he should totally ditch the sunglasses. No, ski sunglasses are not for him. And what is with the really colorful shirt? Someone should teach the man how to dress.

Overall Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Vonzell

Singing: Let's hear it for Baby V!!! Sings "I Turn to You" by Christina Aguliera (a song from when Christina was still a good girl). I love her voice! And it wows me again when she delivers yet another good performance. Good, but not great like her past three performances.

Stage Presence: Like always, Vonzell appears all bubbly (but in a good way) and fun. She looked like she enjoyed the song and was comfortable onstage. Plus, I loved how she said, "I love ya, Daddy" at the end. I thought that was very sweet of her.

Appearance: Nice outfit. Not much else to say.

Overall Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Anthony

Singing: Hey, hey, hey. It's Anthony Fedorov from Ukraine aka Anthony Potter!!! Sang "I Surrender" by Celine Dion. I never knew that was a Celine Dion song but everyone else says so so...I loved it and I love his voice, contrary to what a lot of people on the AI Forums think. Does well on the high notes and I didn't hear any obvious flaws with it. Well done!

Stage Presence: Um, by this stage, everyone should be comfortable with performing on national TV and everyone is. Anthony does much better on slow songs because he doesn't have to dance or attempt to dance on these slower ones.

Appearance: Nice conservative outfit and it works for me. He slips by Lena's sharp comments without a scratch.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Constantine

Singing: Aaah, Constantine. Not likin' it. Sang "You Remind Me" by ??? (if you happen to know who sings this, please tell me and I will edit this). Why did you choose a rock song, why???? I guess he just wants to prove that he is a rocker when he really isn't. His voice is just too theatrical and just too fake! I'd have to say he is the weakest singer in the Top 6, even worse than Scott. And the screaming at the end? Bad performance!

Stage Presence: AAAAHHHH!!! What is he doing up there??? Running around with the microphone stand and flinging his hair and kicking the camera??? What was he thinking???

Appearance: Makes me want to barf especially when he winks at the camera to his fifty year-old female fans who power-vote for him and probably fainted because of that. *Blech*

Overall Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Scott

Singing: Sang "Dance With My Mother Again" by ???. Band desperately tried to play softer and softer because they realized they were drowning him out because of his weak voice. It was flat at parts because he just doesn't have a strong voice like the other contestants (well, besides Constantine). He will go.

Stage Presence: Scott, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't dance. No matter how hard you try.

Appearance: Um, he looks chubby as usual and there's not much else to say about that.

Overall Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

2005-04-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

Nadia's Hideous Dress (American Idol, Week 13, Performances)

Okay, in my last post, I was talking about Nadia's hideous dress from Tuesday night's American Idol episode. I found a picture (and posted it thanks to Amber Lexonce and Hello) from idolonfox.com and here it is. Feel free to comment on why in the world she picked that dress.

American Idol Week 13: Results

2005-04-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

Ryan Seacrest announces that the show will be an hour long tonight (oh, boy!) and also promises tons of music for the people sitting at home. There is a video clip of the Top 12 recording the three charity songs in a recording studio. Then the Top 8 takes the stage and sings the winning charity song (that I voted for!!!), "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". They do a terrific job, seeing as how four of their fellow contestants who originally sang that song with them are at home and another one from the Top 8 will soon join that four.

Commercial break, and then there is a video clip that documents the day-to-day life of an Idol finalist. It's basically lots of practicing with a little bit of shopping and fun-time crammed in. Then, they show the contestants singing in yet another Ford commercial. Hehehe. Carrie looks all ghetto-ish in the commercial. Let me be the first to say that it doesn't work on her.

Finally, Seacrest gets down to the results. And the first person in the Bottom 3 is...Scott!!! Yes!!! He waddles down and sings his favorite song, "Against All Odds" (a song that he managed to hack up) and then nervously waits on the stage. Commercial Break...We get back to the show and Seacrest announces that the second spot in the Bottom 3 is...Bo? BO??? B-O, BO?????!!! Ehmagod, ehmagod!!! Bo is in the Bottom 3? I'm half-expecting Seacrest to pull off one of his lame Judd-stunts again but nothing happens except Bo starts singing "Remedy" (wondering why Bo likes that song...). After another commercial break...Nadia is sent down to the pit of doom (the Bottom 3) to join Bo and the Dawg and I forget which song she sang. Commercial break, and Seacrest says that he "will send one of the Bottom 3-ers to safety. And it's...Scott? AAAAHHHHHH!!!! NOOOOOOO!!! WHY COULDN'T SCOTT HAVE GONE???? This causes me to throw the remote across the room in anger (poor remote). Bo and Nadia look REALLY scared, now. After two more commercial breaks, Ryan Seacrest dramatically announces that Bo...is...safe. Yes!!! Nadia and Bo shake hands and Bo joyfully leaps back to his chair on the Safe Side.

They show Nadia's good-bye tape and Seacrest ends the show. Until next week, folks. Ciao!

American Idol Week 13: Performances

2005-04-16T16:26:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night- After the opening credits, Ryan Seacrest walks across the stage and announces that this week's performance show will get personal. A brief video clip of Ryan Seacrest sitting in a room with the remaining 8 finalists. Ryan holds up a few photos of cute babies as a "clue" to this week's theme. Surprise! The photos are baby pictures of the contestants and Ryan explains that this week's theme is to pick a song from the year you were born.

Nadia: Sang "When I Dream". Nadia always manages to shock me so much with her appearance (Ex: The Mohawk in an earlier episode) that I don't pay much attention to the song. The first thing I thought of when she began singing: "What happened to her dress???" It was a bright red toga that was all cut up so it looked like she had thrown on a dish towel. Ew. Her dress managed to distract me from the first half of her performance. Desperately tried to focus on the song instead of her awful dress for the rest of her performance and thought her singing was just dreadful. The judges agreed and Simon even went as far as to compare her to "wallpaper" and the audience drowns him out with "boos".

Bo: Has been in a slump for the past two weeks. Please, Bo, pick a good song for once and wow us all like I know you can!!! Sings "Freebird". I thought it was a lot better than Nadia's but still not as good as he did in the semi-finals. Well, at least he tried to make it good. Paula and Randy liked it. Simon...not so much. Once again, audience drowns him out with "booos" and Simon turns and shouts at the audience to shut up (or something like that).

Anwar: Sings "I'll Never Love This Way Again". I thought it was a pretty good performance. The huge ending note was a bit unnecessary but the audience loved it and so did the judges. Simon said Anwar was a little "too nice" which caused more "boooos".

Anthony (aka Anthony Potter cause he looks so much like Harry Potter): Yay, Anthony Potter from Ukraine!!! He sings "Everytime You Go Away". Fairly decent but much better than last week's dreadful "Climb Ev'ry Mountain". Judges liked it. Good, so the Ukrainians will have nothing against us.

Vonzell: Belts out "Let's Hear It For the Boys" perfectly. Delivers yet another flawless performance. And the judges liked it.

Scott (aka The Dawg): The Dawg should have gone last week instead of Nikko, but he slipped away and we are once again faced with a performance that I'd rather not hear. Sings "She's Gone". He should be gone!!! *pukes into paper bag* The only reason he is still here is because he has a bunch of disillusioned fans (go to the Dawg Pound at the AI Forums for proof) who constantly accuse me of judging him by his weight (I don't!!!) and they always powervote for him!!! Honestly!

Carrie: Expecting a good performance like all other weeks but fairly disappointed by her rock-wannabe "Love is a Battlefield". Love what the hair stylist did to her hair and love her clothes, though. Simon used yet another analogy comparing her to a "kitten who tries to be a tiger". More "boooosss" and "hissses" by an angry audience.

Constantine: Ehmagod, sang the song I least expected him to sing, "Bohemian Rhapsody". Very, very surprised by his song choice and even more surprised that the producers let him sing that song cause of the urm..."violent" lyrics. Enjoyed the beginning where he is not jumping around like a crazy monkey. But the ending? Nah...He started doing his "rocker scream" and it just didn't work out for me. He did manage to send a few smoldering gazes at the camera (for his fan club, the Greek God Groupies. For more info, go check out the AI Forums) and managed to look like he was making out with the microphone (which he always manages to do). I love watching his performances because they're all insanely hysterical.

We'll have to wait and see who's gonna be the one who's kicked off. Please, God, let it be Scott!!!

American Idol

2005-04-15T22:57:00.000-04:00

If you love American Idol like I do, I strongly recommend the site, www.overmused.com. It is great, featuring audio and occcasionally video clips of the contestants' performances. It keeps you updated and I pretty much agree with the blog owner (wel, except for the whole Fantasia thing.

Since I end up filling in a lot of my friends who can't watch the show, I decided that posting recaps of the show (but no video or audio). What I thought of the contestants, their personalities, their clothes, their performances, etc. Though I won't do as good a job of it as Mr. Overmused since I can't work out how to put audio and video clips in posts yet.

Lollipop, Lollipop

2005-04-11T21:30:00.000-04:00

This blog entry has been sponsored by the letter “L”. L as in…no, not loser…LOLLIPOP!!!

Lollipops, the sweet treats we all know and love. Yes, we all love lollipops, but did you know that there’s an actual holiday in honor of them? Yes, July 20 (anyone’s birthday, here?) is National Lollipop Day.

The original lollipop-making machines produced forty lollipops a minute. Sounds like a lot to you? Try this-the modern lollipop-making machines now produce FIVE THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED lollipops per minute. Not bad, huh?

And if you were wondering if there was a world record for the largest lollipop, there IS!!! The gargantuan lollipop, certified on June 25th, 2002 weighed measured 18.9 inches thick, was over 15 feet tall (including the stick), and weighed a whopping 4,031 pounds (including the stick). Wow.

I wonder what they did with that lolly...Hope that was a refresher for your brain.

Ciao!

Question of the Week

2005-04-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

Since spring has finally sprung (yes, ain't it lovely?), we'll be starting a new candy unit. Hope you like candy since that is basically what most of the subjects of the posts for the next few weeks will be about. Not that it matters since no one ever reads this blog or bothers to leave a message.

Q: What type of candy do you usually favor the most?

a) chocolate (It makes us happy, AND it's high in antioxidants!!! Yay, antioxidants!!!)

b) gummy candy

c) sour candy

d) mints

e) spicy candy (like Red Hots for example)

f) other (please specify)

g) hate candy

I hope you all enjoyed this poll. Keep checking back for more info on candy. Monkeys love candy!!! And if you happen to enjoy hearing about squid dissections, hop on over to my friend, Scaly Cockatoo's blog, www.thewritingspot.blogspot.com

Ciao!

Interesting HP Facts

2005-04-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

If you're an HP fan, which I hope you are or I would want to ask you what you were doing on this blog, I think you might find some of the following facts interesting.

1. If all Harry Potter books ever sold were placed end to end, they would go around the equator 1.4 times.

2. If all the Harry Potter books ever sold were laid flat, they would cover the area of about 1000 football pitches. Or they could be used to carpet Monaco 3.7 times.

3. On its first day of sale in the UK, Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix sold at a rate of 21 books per second.

4. If all those books sold in the UK in the first day were stacked up the pile would be 12 times higher than Mount Everest.

5. If one person were to read every Harry Potter book ever sold - at a rate of one per day - it would take them over 700,000 years to do so.

6. The total number of Harry Potter books ever sold is more than the populations of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined.

Do you want a definition of an HP fan? Well, first of all, you have to love HP, have read at least one book, and have visited my site. Nah, I'm kidding about the last one. But if you've at least done the first two and are reading this right now, then that makes you a...I don't know...an honorary Monkey Hut Harry Potter fan?

Do you want a definition of an HP FANATIC? How about stalking JK Rowling? I certainly hope you haven't done that.

Oh, and kudos to Mugglenet and Bloomsbury for the info.

Stay good now. And don't go stalking innocent authors...*wink*

Brilliant Move, Emerson!!!

2005-03-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

Once again, I've been tricked! I applaud Mr. Emerson on the bold April Fools' Trick. I have to say, it was convincing, though I had my doubts after the first ten shocking seconds. Good ol' MuggleNet. Go to the website and see for yourself!!! Since it's already April 1st in Europe, (where Mr. Emerson is located, I suppose) he decided to start reeling in the fish. And from the looks of it, he's got loads of fish who bit and totally fell for it, including (even though I'm ashamed to admit it) me.

Happy April Fools, Mr. Emerson!!! And a happy April Fools to whoever is reading this blog...

Stay good now. *wink* Even though I know you won't for long. After all, April Fools is only a few hours from now...

An April Fools Prank?

2005-03-31T21:09:00.000-05:00

AAAHHH!!! Today I tried to access my favorite Harry Potter forums, Chamber of Secrets and they've been ordered to shut down by the Manhattan Federal Court! Then I tried to check MuggleNet for information on this and was greeted by this following note:

"MuggleNet.com has been ordered to shut down by ruling of Manhattan Federal Court.This site has faciliated the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc. and J.K. Rowling."

Do you really think this is happening? If it is, then my friends and I are in danger. Since tomorrow is April Fools, part of me doubts the whole fiasco is real, though. Could they just be pulling our legs? What do you think?

Great Song

2005-03-30T18:56:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love song parodies? Well, even if you don't here's one thrown at your face! Sing this wonderful song to the tune of "Barbie Girl" by Aqua or if you don't know that song, sing it to the tune of "Ugly Girl", which is the more popular parody of "Barbie Girl". Kudos to Mugglenet and Catrina Gandor for providing us with the lyrics.

Hogwarts Girl

Hermione:I'm a Hogwarts girl,

in my Hogwarts world.

I do magic,

it's fantastic.

Ghosts fly everywhere,

pixies in my hair.

A vacation from Muggle situations

Ron:Wizards, witches, snakes, and snitches

Hermione:I'm a hard-working girl

In this non-Muggle world.

I do spells, I save Ron, I save Harry.

Ron:You're a know-it-all girl.

And I almost could scream.

Your obsession with homework is scary.

Hermione:You can laugh,

At my wa-ays

But my O.W.L.S

Are better than yours

Oo-oo-oo

I'm a Hogwarts girl,

in my Hogwarts world.

I do magic,

it's fantastic!

Ghosts fly everywhere,

pixies in my hair.

A vacation from Muggle situations.

Ron:Wizards, witches, snakes, and snitches.

Hermione:And the homework!

Ron:Spells and flying, Snape defying

Hermione:S.P.E.W.! S.P.E.W.! S.P.E.W.!

Yes, Another Birthday!

2005-03-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

Let us celebrate yet another birthday worth celebrating! Happy Birthday, Robbie Coltrane! May you be blessed with a wonderful birthday with friends, family, and best of all, CAKE!!! Hahaha, just kidding. Well, the cake is important! There is no birthday without no cake.

For those of you who don't know, Robbie Coltrane plays the Harry's lovable giant friend, Hagrid, in the Harry Potter movies. He is turning 55 today.

Let him eat cake!!!

Stay good now.

Happy Easter!

2005-03-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying it like I am, sitting at home stuffing marshmallow Peeps into your mouths. Easter is the ideal holiday to pack on a few pounds. Hey, you have to admit, those adorable little chicks are quite tasty if I may say so myself.

I know you've all been nice this year with a few *ahem* exceptions. *cough, cough* Be on the lookout for an overgrown rabbit with a big smile hopping around your neighborhood hurling eggs at people. Yeah...and...

Q: What are you doing this Easter?

a) If you are truly fortunate, you're spending your Easter out of town either relaxing somewhere on a beach in Florida or being driven insane by your relatives. I truly envy you.

b) sitting at home doing absolutely nothing in celebration of this holiday (besides going to church)

c) throwing a party (doesn't matter how many people unless you are a true loser and have no one to invite but yourself.)

d) traditional Easter egg hunt (what fun! I just love running around collecting eggs in the snow! I hope the sarcasm isn't dripping too much.)

e) other (please specify what exactly you are doing if you decide to pick this)

f) could care less about surveys

g) eek! am scared of surveys.

h) ummmmm.....

Interesting Tidbits about The Creator

2005-03-25T12:24:00.000-05:00

I decided to share a few facts about myself for the pleasure of the people who read this blog (A grand total of four people and they are all my friends. Isn't that sad?) after viewing my friend Scaly Cockatoo's blog (www.writingspot.blogspot.com go check it out! it's a great blog). If you are any of the following people, you should know all of this already: Scaly Cockatoo, Annette Wiecha, hpphoenix, and Cherry Berry (those are all nicknames since I don't want to release any of their real names on the Internet due to privacy issues). Surprisingly, those are the only four people who read my blog so I'm really writing this for no one. Ah, well...

Favorite Color: Surprisingly, I like both soft, muted, pastel colors AND bright, vivid, showy colors. My favorite colors are lavender, pale rose, bright tangerine orange, and hot pink. Go figure!

Favorite Animal: Monkeys and rubber duckies. Who knew?

Favorite Scent: For some odd reason, I like the smell of crushed ice. I also love the warm aroma of vanilla with cinammon and the fragrant scent of roses.

Favorite Sport: Volleyball, and that's really all I have to say about that.

Favorite Flower: Ah....gorgeous dark, red roses paired with delicate, white baby's breath.

Favorite Movie: Usually my favorite movie is the most recent movie I've seen so I guess it would have to be Million Dollar Baby. But I also like the Sound of Music, however dorky that is.

Favorite Subject: Definitely English!!!

A constant random thought that is always bugging me: What is the meaning of life? Don't we all need to think about that one?

I'll leave it at this. If you have any questions, post a comment.

Stay good now...

Cute April Fools Spoof

2005-03-24T16:49:00.000-05:00

A bit early for April Fools stuff, but what harm would that do? Go to http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?image_location=4-05natgeo-hpspoof.jpg to see an adorable spoof on Harry Potter from National Geographic Kids in their April issue. It involves three little pigs and a group of aliens. Short and sweet. Hope you like it.

Stay good now.

Question of the Week

2005-03-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't done one of these in a really long time. I'm assuming that you all have read the post below this and have seen the cover of the HP6 book. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the post below this and click the link.

Question of the Week: What is your opinion of the HP6 book cover?

a) I think it's fabulous. Mary GrandPre really delivered!

b) I think it's okay. Not crazy about it but it'll do.

c) I don't like it very much. It's kind of ugly.

d) I hate it! I absolutely loathe it and will definitely be sending in a complaint to Mrs. GrandPre ASAP!!!

Come on, people, POST!!! :D

Stay good now....

HP6 Book Cover

2005-03-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

Wake up, Potter fans!!! The HP6 book cover has been released on Mugglenet! To see it, click this link, http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?image_location=harrypotter6_HR.jpg Kudos to Mugglenet!!! By going on mugglenet.com, you can view the UK children's book cover and the UK adult's book cover. The American HP6 book cover is as shady and mysterious as the fifth one, with a picture of Dumbledore and Harry who is clutching his wand leaning over, erm...a pensieve? I think it's a pensieve. It is some shallow dish thingy. There are swirls of green and yellow and the title is in purple. And that just about sums up the cover. It is much like the HP5 cover with the shadowy hues and all. This cover was illustrated by Mary GrandPre who has done a terrific job drawing all the pictures in all of the HP books. Also, be sure to check out JK Rowling's own webpage at www.jkrowling.com Enjoy!!!

Movie Review-Million Dollar Baby

2005-03-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know you haven't seen the serious side of me but prepare to be amazed...I'm not a total goofball. Okay, maybe I am. But aren't we all? Here goes...

I watched Million Dollar Baby three hours before the Oscars were scheduled to start. I knew that it was nominated for many Oscars but I wanted to see what the big deal was.

The film is narrated by Morgan Freeman who speaks rapidly and forces a great deal of background information into you at the start of the film. We learn about the main character, Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), who, despite his age, trains boxers in an old run-down gym. His best friend, Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman), is a retired boxing star and helps him operate the gym. One day, a determined 31 year-old woman, named Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), walks into Frankie’s gym and asks him if he can be her manager and trainer. Her life dream has been to become a boxing champion. She is willing to do anything to become the best. He turns her down, saying that he “doesn’t train girls” yet she comes back and works out at the gym everyday, often late into the night. Finally, surprised by her determination, Frankie starts working with her and he finds out about her painful past and the hard life she lives. Frankie can relate to her; his own daughter isn’t speaking to him. The rest of the movie revolves around the two of them, from thrilling boxing matches to emotional trips to Maggie’s family’s trailer where she grew up. Frankie finds himself attached to Maggie, and Maggie to him, as they move up the ranks in the boxing tournament, and develop a close father/daughter relationship. Maggie no longer has her father, and Frankie no longer has his daughter. Frankie is like a surrogate father to Maggie, and Maggie a surrogate daughter to Frankie. Then, the plot takes a sudden turn that changes the whole course of the movie. Frankie finds himself with a terrible decision to make. Either way, he cannot win, and Maggie’s life is in his hands.

The audience is left hanging at the movie’s stunning conclusion. There are gaping holes left in the story. Those are for the audience to fill. And everyone silently files out, lost in thought.

3 hours later, the film wins four Oscars: Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Picture. I think this film and the actors in it truly deserve it. The film has a haunting depth to it and leaves an enormous emotional impact only the best movies are capable of delivering.

At times, the movie moves along slowly and there aren’t as many boxing scenes as there should be, but what the movie lacks, it makes up for in cinematic beauty.

This film is rated PG-13, and is 2 hours and 14 minutes long. It may not be the best choice to take a smaller child to, because of the mature themes (euthanasia) and a few gory images. I would give this movie four and a half stars out of five stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys quiet, heartrending films, and appreciates the classic art of filmmaking.

If you think about it, Million Dollar Baby is not about boxing. It is about the difference between life and death, and the times where there is no difference at all. More importantly, it is about the bonds between father and daughter that run deep into your blood, even if you are not blood-related...

I highly recommend it!!! It will be leaving the theaters maybe in a few weeks, so go see it NOW while you still have the chance!!! If you miss it, oh well, better wait until it comes out on DVD and you can go rent it or buy it!

When Monkeys Attack!

2005-03-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

I am serious!!! If you tuned into NBC (or was it CNN? you might have to check this one out.) lately, then you should have seen the news report they did on two escaped monkeys (I think they were chimps, too!) They interviewed some professor guy who claimed he knew a lot about monkeys and he was saying how "most humans don't think it, but monkeys ARE capable of murder". And he said that "monkeys are not at all like the cute, innocent ones portrayed in Tarzan". And they had a nice little video clip of two monkeys killing each other. To that I say, pay no attention! I guess the news stations are trying to brainwash us. But still...if you happen to see two muderous monkeys coming down your street, don't hesitate to email me and send me a photograph for proof. :D

Stay good now.

If you work at NBC (or was it CNN?) and you happened to read the stuff I wrote above this, then please don't take this as an excuse to sue me. I am only poking fun at you. :D PEACE OUT, PEOPLE!!!

Primate of the Month

2005-03-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

Ho, ho, everyone! It's time for Primate of the Month. It is now March for those of you who don't keep track of the date. Time for a new primate of the month. This month, we are fast-forwarding to the modern monkey, not the type that lives in the jungle, or eats banana, or has hair on its butt. This is a robotic monkey-or should I say robo-monkey.

This month's featured primate is....Robotic Gibbon:

The Robotic Gibbon is the first robotic primate. It was developed by some guy named Dr Toshio Fukuda at some university named Nagoya University in some country named Japan. The robot will swing like a gibbon (a long-armed ape for those of you who don't know) from branch to branch - or should I say, rung to rung on a horizontal ladder set up in the laboratory. The research team chose to study swinging, or brachiation, because it has a set of unique problems that need to be solved. Robo-monkey has 14 motors controlling a fully-articulated body and a computer brain (let's hope it works) to direct all its movements. Pretty cool, huh? I want one of those!

Can't you imagine it? A robot that looks like a monkey! I love it! Wonder if I could potty-train it or teach it how to fetch me bananas straight from the Monkey Hut. If anyone knows where you can sign up to get one of these nifty primates in the future, PLEASE tell me!!!

Maybe your grandchildren will have pet robo-monkeys in their homes. Who knows? All I know is that I have to go.

Stay good now.

Question of the Week

2005-03-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

OK, I'll get right to the point instead of rambling on and on like I usually do:

What is your favorite primate?

a) humans

b) chimpanzees

c) orangutans

d) gorillas

e) baboons

f) spider monkeys

g) other

h) don't care about monkeys (if you choose this one, may the guilt haunt you forever!)

I would pick b. After all, chimpanzees are the cutest.

Stay good now. And have a happy, happy, happy, chimpanzee-filled day!!! From the monkeymaster to you. :D

Happy Birthday to Ron

2005-03-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

I know the all the birthday posts are getting on your nerves. You are all probably wondering, "What is this? The Birthday Site?" But I really wanted to post this one so please forgive me. No more unless they are really important.

Well, lost up in the excitement of my favorite TV show, American Idol, I have completely forgotten Ron's birthday which was yesterday, March 1. Happy Birthday, Ron!!! If he is still alive after the HP7, then he will be turning 25 today. Our best birthday wishes to you!!!

Now that is our last birthday for quite a while. Keep posting! Or rather, post more! The last time I was on this blog, it was about 2 and a half weeks ago and not a single person (okay, I have to give Scaly Cockatoo credit) has bothered to post since then. Where are all of you? Sleeping? To those of you who are sleeping: Wake up!!!

Stay good now.

Happy Birthday to Alan Rickman!!!

2005-02-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

Today, February 21, is Alan Rickman's 59th birthday! Happy Birthday, Alan Rickman!!! For those of you who don't know, Alan Rickman plays Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Our best wishes to Snape, then...May he always be as evil and greasy-haired. (Not that Mr. Rickman is evil and greasy-haired. We are not disrespecting Mr. Rickman. We are disrespecting Snape.)

Stay good now...

Question of the Week

2005-02-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

I know it is a bit early but I really wanted to put this on this blog because I was afraid that I would forget it because of my poor memory. But you didn't need to know that because my memory is not your concern.

Q: If Harry finally manages to kill Lord Voldemort (as said in the prophecy at the end of HP5), would you consider him a murderer?

a) yes because technically, he would have killed someone and killing someone makes you a murderer.

b) definitely not! how dare you accuse harry of being a murderer? murderers are evil people. harry is not killing Lord Voldemort because he likes killing. He is killing him to rid the world of evil.

c) this question makes me really confused and I can't decide.

d) I don't like Harry Potter and I don't care.

That's it for this week.

Stay good now.

Contact Me

2005-02-18T16:16:00.000-05:00

If you have any suggestions, comments, complaints, or ideas for this blog, don't hesitate to contact me. My email address is katherine.han@gmail.com. Do not send me chain emails since I have enough already. Do not send me viruses or junk mail. If you do, I will report you and YES, that is a threat.

Now, then...

If you found any funny articles or Harry Potter news somewhere, please send it to me. I would greatly appreciate this effort from my loyal blog-readers, knowing that at least some people on this planet appreciate me.

Stay good now.

A Mugglenet B-Day

2005-02-17T21:14:00.000-05:00

Today, Jan. 17 is the birthday of Mugglenet owner, Emerson Spartz who is turning 18 and going off to college! Happy Birthday, Emerson!!! For those of you who don't know, Mugglenet.com is an excellent Harry Potter website that is one of my personal favorites. I always go there to check the latest HP news and info on what's happening with the sixth book and the fourth movie. Mr. Emerson opened the site when he was 12, 12!!!!! Wow. I got this info from Mugglenet, itself which is currently celebrating Mr. Emerson's birthday.

Today is also the birthday of Bonnie Wright part of the Harry Potter movie cast!!! For those of you who are completely clueless, she plays Ginny Weasley. I hope you know who Ginny Weasley is, you sad, sad people. Just kidding. *wink*

Stay good now.

Something Sweet to Think About

2005-02-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone, though I know this is a bit late. Did ya get any candy? I know I did. I'm really really really really hyper right now cause of all the sugar I ingested today and I felt like posting something new.

Adding to all the other Harry Potter merchandise on the market, including the "wicked delicious" (hey it's fun to act Rupert Grint-y sometimes) candies, is Harry Potter Dragon Eggs which are chocolate easter eggs. (They are supposed to be Hungarian Horntail eggs).

According to http://www.bewarethecheese.com/eastereggs.htm it has a synthetic orange and chocolate flavor (which I, for one, don't mind) and is very colorful. It also has a tiny gummy Hungarian Horntail in the middle which most people, undoubtedly, will miss. Hey, it sounds delicious. I don't want to post the whole review on this site so if you're really curious, you'll just have to go on the website and see for yourself. (you'll have to scroll down a little bit. the review for the Hungarian Horntail egg is the fourth one down.)

And now for the question of the week....

Have you ever eaten one of the Harry Potter candies? (that means Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and the new Hungarian Horntail Easter Egg.)

a. once.

b. 2-5 times

c. I eat them all the time!

d. no because I can't find them.

e. no and I've never heard of them until now.

f. no because they sound gross.

g. why bother? they are so high in fat and sugar anyway.

My answer is a. though I was really tempted to answer g.

If you have trouble finding them and you really, really, REALLY want to try one, I suppose you can order one off the Internet. But I went to the Toys R' Us near Times Square in New York for it. They have this whole candy section called Candyland and they sell the chocolate frogs and the beans. I had a chocolate frog once but it wasn't that good. It has crispy rice in the center and caramel inside and the outside is chocolate (of course). It has a trading card but it's not worth the price (it was a lousy 5 bucks) and I was thoroughly disappointed. Ah, well. If you ever happen to eat a Hungarian Horntail egg, you know where to post your own review. Right here.

Stay good now.

The Llama Song

2005-02-11T19:49:00.001-05:00

You know what the best song in the world is?

Nope, it's not "Its a Small World After All", believe it or not.

It's the Llama Song!!!! Though many of you have probably never heard of it, it is definitely the BEST song on the Internet. (okay, maybe a few of you can find better songs than that, but who cares?)

If you are at all curious about this wonder, surprise! As usual, I'm on top of things and I've gotten the llama song all ready for you. It's on http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php. Just so you know: It plays in a loop so you will hear it over and over again. In time, it'll grow on you. I'm sure.

Hope you enjoy it. I know I do.

Here's a llama, there's a llama. And another little llama. Fuzzy llama, funny llama. Llama, llama, DUCK!!!! (I swear, that's how it goes!!!)

When you love Harry Potter Too Much...

2005-02-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

You mutter nonsense latin words under your breath.

You call your least favorite teacher Snape. *

Your computer says "You've Got Mail" and you run outside looking for an owl.

You actually ask for a broom for Christmas.

You mutter "lumos" under your breath every time you turn on a flashlight.

You sort everyone you meet into the four Hogwarts houses. (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.) *

You were burned when you couldn't get through the flames of your fireplace.

You had to go to the hospital after you broke your nose running headfirst into the wall between platforms nine and ten.

The wand order mistake in GoF drove you crazy, and even after it was "corrected" you still came up with dozens of theories to explain why that happened.

You point a normal things like parking meters and say "Look at the things these muggles dream up!"

You collect plugs.

You try on every piece of silvery fabric your mom has to see if you turn invisible.

Before getting up to get something, you always try to summon it first. Accio TV remote! *

You watched "Love, Actually" because two minor Harry Potter actors were in it. *

You were reduced to tears when you finally had book 5 in your hands.

You refer to your Chemistry class as Potions. *

You spend hours tapping bricks in special orders hoping that a secret entrance to Diagon Alley will appear.

When playing chess, you yell orders to the chess players and get upset when they don't move.

You yell into the "fellytone."

You get emotional every time you hear "Hedwig's Theme".

You say "wicked" all the time because Rupert Grint does.

You get thoroughly overexcited every time you see a word somewhere that is distantly linked with HP (ie. Saint Hedwig's). *

You name all of your pets after HP characters.

You get in to heated arguments over how much gel Tom Felton had in his hair in the first two movies.

You know that Harry's birthday is July 31, 1980, Hermione's birthday is September 19, 1980 and Ron's birthday is March 1, 1980 even though it never said in the books. *

You refer to Voldemort as "You-Know-Who", and no one has any idea who you're talking about.

You went out and bought the latest editition of the Webster's Dictionary because they added the word "muggle". *

You were kicked out of the movie theater for standing on your chair, throwing your shoe at the screen and yelling "THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE BOOK!"

You count the days until you're old enough for your apparating license, and everyone else thinks you're talking about driving.

Your free time on the computer is spent constantly refreshing your favorite Harry Potter news site (MuggleNet, of course), hoping for an update.*

Sadly, I fulfill a lot of these things. The ones with an asterisk(*) next to them are the ones that I fulfill. Post a comment if you do some of these *ahem* quirky things, too. And no one should post anything about how much LOTR is better than HP. I'm not dissing LOTR but this is mostly an HP blog.

Primate of the Month

2005-02-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know you guys have been dying for information about monkeys. After all, this blog is supposed to be called The Monkey Hut. And what kind of hut would be without monkeys? So, I have planned to do something called Primate of the Month. Though at times it may get a bit dull, bear with me. You WILL benefit from the information I give you. Who knows? Maybe you'll choose to skip over this and 30 years later when you are living in a hut down in the Amazon Rainforest, you will be attacked by a mob of hungry monkeys who are threatening to tear your Monkey Hut down if you can't recite every single Primate of the Month article posted ever posted on their favorite site, the Monkey Hut. Then you will realize the importance of monkey info and will regret your decision 30 years in the past to read my Primate of the Month article.

Then you will be sorry....Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha.....*feeling evil*

Anyway....

Primate of the Month: Koko the Gorilla!!!! Koko is a 33 year-old gorilla who was taught sign-language as a baby gorilla. She can sign over 1000 different words and can even understand spoken English. Koko loves kittens and the pictures of her playing with kittens that I saw on her website were SO ADORABLE. She has her own foundation, the Gorilla Foundation and is the mascot and ambassador for it.

Ambassagorilla.

How many gorillas have their own foundations? And like playing with kittens? And can sign over 1000 different words in sign language? And have their own books published? Umm....Not that many. So that's what makes the fabulous Koko our Primate of the Month.

JK Rowling has a Baby!!!!

2005-01-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, JK Rowling!!!!!!!!!! We have all been waiting for this happy moment since we all knew (okay, some of us knew) that a baby was on the way. Mackenzie (don't ya love the name), her new baby girl, was born on January 23, 2005. January 23 has been proclaimed Mackenzie Day. Just kidding. But you can still celebrate it if you like. I know one happy couple will.

Question of the Week

2005-01-25T02:15:00.000-05:00

Geesh, guys. For the last Question of the Week (actually Question of 2 Weeks), only 2 people posted. And those two people were me and my friend. Or my friend and I. Thanks all of you people who came to this blog and didn't post. Way to make me feel appreciated!

OK, I forgive you. Maybe last week's question was a little bit dull.

Question of the Week: Who do you think will be the next couple in HP6?

a) Ron and Hermione

b) Harry and Hermione

c) Harry and Ginny

d) Draco and Hermione

e) Other

f) Don't know/Don't care

I personally think it will be Ron and Hermione. No doubt about it. HP5 made it way too obvious.

Now all we have to do is get our hands on HP6. I've already pre-ordered it for delivery on July 15, 2005 though I'll be at summer camp and won't get back until around July 30 or something. O faithful fans of Harry Potter, I trust you will finish it way before I do.

Stay good now. Bye.

104 Things to Do When You Feel Like Harrassing Lord Voldemort.

2005-01-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

I got this list at www.mugglenet.com
Their website has possibly everything you need to know 'bout Harry Potter.

1. Ask him why he 'doesn't have such a cool scar?'

2. Laugh at him.

3. Wake him up by singing Beach Boys songs in his ear. 'Round, round, get around, I get around...'

4. Knit him things. Really hideous things.

5. Give him kangaroo-ears for a month.

6. Smile during Death-Eater meetings and say you taught him everything he knows.

7. Chew bubblegum all the time. Should he address you, your only response will be a series of huge bubbles in quick succession, the last of which will burst everywhere and make a mess.

8. Dance the Funky Chicken.

9. Ask him when was the last time he took a bath.

10. Pat him on the head and give him flowers when his plans are foiled yet again.

11. If you ever need to say 'Like taking candy from a baby', be sure to add 'Of course, SOME of us might find that harder than others.' Stare pointedly at him.

12. Play 'knock-&-run' at his bedchamber door late at night.

13. Call him 'The-man-who-let-the-boy-live'

14. Ask why the Dark Mark couldn't look like something 'more socially acceptable?'

15. Insist that you have met chunks of cheese with more cunning plans than his.

16. Pinch him. Make sure he squeals.

17. Be cheerful.

18. When he tries to impress you with his powers say 'Awwwww, lookit. Voldie's got a twiggle!'

19. Try to teach him to play a mouth organ.

20. Roll your eyes during plotting sessions and say things under your breath like 'You're the boss, boss' or 'It's your funeral.'

21. Greet him in the mornings with a sarcastic 'My sir, you look particularly menacing today.'

22. Taunt him about his middle name. 'Marvolo? Whats that, a washing detergent?'

23. Keep a 'good-behaviour chart'. Award points and give out gold stars.

24. Magic-marker Potter-style glasses on him while he sleeps.

25. Apparate into and out of his room rapidly. Do this non-stop for an hour. *poof* there *poof* gone *poof* there....

26. Play cards with him. Tell him he has no poker-face and how does he expect to rule supreme without one?

27. Let off party-poppers in his face whenever the urge strikes you.

28. 'Did you even HAVE a girlfriend? Like, ever?'

29. Get a pair of finger puppets closely resembling himself and Harry Potter. Re-enact all of Harry's victories over him in a spectacularly childish way. Be sure to give them both squeaky voices.

30. Anytime he enters any room, insist on entering first and announcing him grandly.

31. In these announcements, fake a trumpet noise and give him an equally fake drumroll.

32. Exclaim sarcastically 'You're breakin' my little heart here, o dark one' whenever he starts to talk of what has caused to become who he is.

33. Encourage him to 'think happy thoughts!'

34. Ask him to give you written summaries of his sinister plots for revenge and war. Correct his spelling.

35. Mock his choice of Quirrel as a 'host'.

36. Tell you think a yoga class could 'cure him of his wicked ways'

37. Get the song 'Mr. Tambourine Man' stuck in his head.

38. If he's having evil-plotter's-block in one of his scheming sessions 'Wingardium Leviosa' a light bulb to float above his head. Turn it on. Look offended when he gets angry and say you 'thought you were helping!'

39. Tell him constantly to stop repressing his anger.

40. Buy him a stress ball.

41. Hint that he is only a character in a book and will never triumph.

42. Call him Tommy-boy.

43. If you're feeling gutsy, call him Voldie-poo.

44. Whack him in the arm and say 'mosquito' - every few minutes.

45. Say he 'looked better under the turban'

46. Eat his pet snake. Offer him some.

47. Endeavour to teach him to steeple his fingers, lean back and say 'Eeeexcellent'.

48. Start drawing outlandish parallels between his life story and 'Star Wars'. Talk at great length.

49. Be generally in awe of him and never look away.

50. 'Imperius' his Death Eaters into a rousing chorus of 'All Things Bright And Beautiful'

51. Shower him with confetti and rice, anytime you think he needs to make a 'grand entry'.

52. Paint all the Death-Eater masks with bright colours and glitter.

53. Throw him a 'care-bears' themed birthday party.

54. Tell him what Snape's really up to.

55. Politely exclaim now and again that you 'don't know how he can be so afraid of dear old Dumbles'

56. Sing 'California Dreamin' at the top of your lungs when he's trying to have an 'evil moment'

57. Should you ever be eating with him - drum tunes with your cutlery, play with your food and blow bubbles in your chocolate milk.

58. Ask him to dance a polka with you.

59. Work cutesy phrases like 'pushing-up-daisies' and 'smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom' into conversation as much as possible.

60. Ask him if he's sure 'the whole evil-maniac-out-for-power-and-revenge thing isn't getting a bit old?'

61. Get him to play 'Twister' with you.

62. Tell him you know this great therapist in London....

63. Throw tupperware parties. Insist he sit through them.

64. Tell him you've met plently of people more evil than he.

65. Hide his teddy bear. That ALWAYS makes him cry.

66. Get him a plant. Act mortally offended when he doesn't water it and it dies.

67. Steal, snap and bury his wand.

68. Tell him Lucius did it.

69. Give Rita Skeeter full knowledge of his whereabouts and contact details.

70. Remind him that he isn't even really alive.

71. Write him a theme song. Start singing it whenever he is about to do or say something particularly clever and nasty.

72. Offer to sacrifice Draco Malfoy 'to the cause'

73. Insist on reading him bedtime stories. Include 'The Ugly Duckling'

74. Make vague allusions to Harry Potter being his son.

75. When he's done something particularly nasty - cross your arms, waggle a finger and say 'Now now, do you really think Salazar would have approved of that?'

76. Ask him how he can possibly wish to harm a single hair on the head of 'that sweet, innocent, cute little boy.'

77. Tell him Wormtail has a crush on him.

78. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophecy."

79. Leave disgusting and rotting dead things near him. Insist that it is 'Aromatherapy'

80. Begin any question you ask him with 'Riddle me this!' Emphasis on Riddle.

81. Do not EVER act in the slightest way intimidated by him. Treat him as you would an eccentric aquaintance.

82. Cuddle him at random moments.

83. Sign him up for Little-League.

84. Ask him why he's afraid of a frail old man with a beard the size of a beehive and can't fight babies.

85. Throw biscuits at him. Constantly.

86. Tell him you think evil master plans of world domination are 'kind of girlie'

87. Quote Argus Filch. Insist HE will one day rule the wizarding world.

88. Wonder aloud whether the name Voldemort commands as much respect as, say, Potter or Dumbledore.

89. Mimic everything he says in a sing-song voice.

90. Mimic everything he does with exaggerated limb-movements.

91. Write sonnets for him.

92. Insist he help you with the newspaper crossword every morning.

93. Follow a few paces behind him, spraying everything he touches with a can of disinfectant.

94. Tell people he's 'really just a big softie'

95. Psychoanalyze him. Conclude that he is 'mildy depressed' and 'a bit of a control-freak'.

96. Mock his baldness.

97. Smile and say loudly 'Who loves you, Volders?' at inopportune moments. (Ie: another of his attempted 'evil moments')

98. Get him drunk.

99. Drag out a banjo at Death Eater revels and start playing 'Kumbayah'

100. Let him catch you trying on Death-Eater robes.

101. Be Harry Potter. Be alive.

102. As he's plotting dark deeds, pretend to cough and mutter things like "Not gonna work," or "stupid."

103. Call him "Champ" or "Tiger." Refer to yourself as "Coach."

104. Call him "The Marvolo Man" and get him a giant picture of "The Marbolo Man" from Marbolo cigarettes.

LOL!!! Just thought you guyz might find this ridiculously funny!!!

Question of the Week

2005-01-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Since I'm running out of things to write about, I've decided to start something fresh. Assuming you guys will respond to every little thing i post, I've decided to start a Question of the Week activity to keep you guys busy.

Question of the Week: Who is your favorite villain in Harry Potter?

a) the Dursleys

b) Lord Voldemort

c) Draco Malfoy

d) Professor Umbridge

e) Professor Snape

f) other

g) I hate all of them!

Please post your TRUe HONEST opinion. And no one will care if you admit that you've always liked Lord Voldemort. Personally my favorite villains are the Dursleys. I've always found them *ahem* interesting.

Stay good, now. And please post.

Name Origins of the My Favorite HP Characters

2005-01-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

Harry- Surprise! JK Rowling's favorite boy name (and who would have guessed?). The name Harry, also means "power." Maybe JK Rowling stole the name from the legendary Harry Houdini...

Hermione- The name Hermione means "well-born" or "stone." The name is found in Greek Mythology and in many of Shakespeare's plays.

Ron- The name Ron means "advisor to the king." After all, he's Arthur Weasley's son and Arthur could represent King Arthur.

Sirius- Sirius is named after the star called Sirius which is also named the "Dog Star." It is the brightest star in the night sky. *sob* We miss the fellow so much.

Dumbledore- Means "bumblebee" in Old English. Interesting.

Neville- means "from the new farmland" in Old French.

Cho- Cho means "butterfly" in Japanese and Chang means "free" in Chinese. If you put it together, it is free butterfly.

Lord Voldemort- "There was a dark wizard in medieval times named Voldermortist. In another language, Voldermortist means "Lord of Evil" or "Dark Lord". Legend has it that Voldermortist once tried to destroy Merlin before the time of King Arthur (Mr. Weasley?), by bewitching good people, and simply bribing those who already were evil. Legend has it that Merlin destroyed Voldermortist by using a simple paralyzing charm (full body bind?), fed him to the many-headed-beast (Fluffy?) of the lake, the Lady of the Lake's pet (Giant Squid?), freed the bewitched people, and destroyed the evil men. That was maybe twelve, thirteen years before Arthur (how long it was from Voldemort's destruction until Harry started Hogwarts). In many European languages 'mort' or 'mord' refer to death or evil. In French, Voldemort means "flight of death" (meaning escaping death)." Wow. That was a mouthful.

Hey, all that stuff was from Mugglenet.com. You should totally check out that website sometime. So all the credit comes from them.

Hope you found that interesting. Stay good, now.

play this game!

2005-01-11T18:40:00.000-05:00

go to http://www.aim.beatgreets.com/display.pd?path=47370&amp;bfrom=1&prodnum=3067907&source=bgaim5 and check out this totally cool george w. bush game! just because the election is over doesn't mean you have to stop poking fun at our dear, beloved president. hehehe. you get to drop brains into george w. bush's empty head. wish we could do that in real life. everytime you get one in, george w. bush, himself, pauses and graces you with one of his many favorite sayings, proving how smart our president is! don't we all just adore him?

a truly addicting game. my high score: 7 brains. hope you have a blast trying to beat it. stay good, now.

Rik was the one who told me about this game so he gets da credit.

Post, people!

2005-01-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone!

Since I don't know who's viewed this blog and their reactions to it, I would really really appreciate it if everyone would post their comments. It would be kind of like a guestbook.

I know that most of the people who view this blog are my friends. Duh. And my friends are not blogger users. So I would also appreciate it if you guys would sign up for blogger.com (it only takes 5 minutes and you guys have plenty of time if you have nothing better to do than view my website!!!). Then this blog would be a message board (which is what it really is supposed to be, anyways).

Thank you.

Chocolate IS a vegetable!

2005-01-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

Can't eat beef...mad cow.

Can't eat chicken...bird flu.

Can't eat eggs...salmonella.

Can't eat pork...bird flu might infect the piggies.

Can't eat fish...poisoned meat due to heavy metals in the waters.

Can't eat fruits and veggies...insecticides and herbicides.

Hmmmmmm!!!!!

MMMmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!

I believe that leaves Chocolate!!!!!!!!

Chocolate is a Vegetable. Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Bean=vegetable.

Sugar is derived from either sugar cane or sugar BEETS. Both of them are plants, in the vegetable category.

Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

If you want to S T R E T C H it further, chocolate bars contain milk which is a dairy product. So candy bars are a health food. Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices, and strawberries all count as fruit so eat as many as you want.

Remember: "STRESSED" spelled backward is "DESSERTS." So go and get yourself a lot of chocolate...today! Remember, they are vegetables and most definitely a health food!!!

Note: We are not responsible for suffocations, addictions, or weight gain due to consuming too much chocolate. Remember, as with any food, it should be taken in with MODERATION.

This article was written by Stephanie Johnson and can NOT be republished or copied like I just did. Just kidding. I had her permission but you still can't copy it!

10 Lies the School Administration Continually Tells Us

2005-01-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

These are the 10 most obviously untrue statements that the school administration continually tells us. Like every day. And who really believes them? (If you belong to the school administration, please forgive me. But you know...you people are pretty easy to poke fun at...)

Our guidance counselors are here to help.
Our school community is a safe, bully-free zone.
We have worked hard to bring you a delicious, nutritious (those two words should never go together) lunch.
At school, you will have plenty of time to see your friends.
You will look back on these days, fondly.
You won't be receiving too much homework.
You will use the knowledge that you learn here later on in life.
These years will affect the rest of your life.
Our substitute teachers fully know what they're doing.
We sincerely care about you.

Whew! I'm glad that's over. Now I only have 4 more years of school to face before I graduate from high school and move on to COLLEGE which is a big fancy word for MORE SCHOOL! Oh, joyous!

Facts About the 6th Harry Potter Book

2005-01-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

For all of you people who are dying to know what's gonna happen in the next Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince) and can't wait until July 16, 2005 (official according to Barnes and Noble) to find out for themselves:

1) Chapter Two will be called Spinners End, Chapter Six will be called Draco's Detour, and Chapter Fourteen will be called Felix Felicis (as according to JK Rowling, herself)

2) Harry will leave the Durselys early (again!)

3) Neither Harry nor Voldemort is the Half-blood Prince

4) There will be a new Minister of Magic (It won't be Arthur Weasley, despite all the rumours)

5) Grawp will make a reappearance (yay!)

6) No more Cho Chang (though there will be someone else)

7) We'll find out why JK Rowling had to kill off Sirius (That's what I want to know the most!)

8) We'll find out why Dumbledore trusts Snape

9) Snape's worst fear will be revealed and it will be really important

10) Hermione and Draco will not end up together (despite the awful rumours flying around)

11) We'll find out what Dudley saw when he encountered the dementor

12) The prophecy at the end of the 6th book will be explained more clearly

13) Narcissa Malfoy will appear more in the next books

14) Moaning Myrtle and Tonks will make and appearance in the next books

15) We'll find out what happened to Sirius's motorbike

16) The fact that Harry has his mother's eyes and Lily's wand was useful for charms will be hugely important

17) Something HUGE will be revealed about Lily Potter.

And that's all I've got...for now. Keep checking back for more HP secrets, everyone!

Have a nice day!

New Years

2005-01-01T03:01:00.000-05:00

Hapy new Years, everyone!

Jen's Personal Guide to New Years Resolutions

2005-01-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! Jen here, about to blow you away with my sensational New Years resolution lecture.

We're all waiting for that darn ball to drop. Wonder what happens if it drops right now...

But that's not what I'm here for. What I'm here for is to lecture you on making...and KEEPING those New Years Resolutions. We all know making them is simple as cake. But the keeping part. Ummmmm......I'd rather not say. And there are thousands of resolutions we have left to rot in that ol' dusty corner.

Exhibit A: I WILL lose weight. Some of you think there is nothing wrong with that but exactly how much weight are you expecting to lose? Hm? 0.00000000000000000001 pounds? Don't we do that by breathing? Or 100 pounds. Gosh, by the time we do that, they'll be nothing left of us.I could go on and on forever.

But I'll choose to end the exhibits here. My point is that some resolutions aren't specific enough or are too hard to follow. Now with a touch of a key, I will teach you all I know about resolution-making.

1) Be very specific when making your resolutions. (Ex: Instead of I will lose weight, try this: I will lose 10 pounds.)

2) It's okay to slack off sometimes. As long as they are reasonable and you know you can do it. (Ex: Instead of I will lose 10 pounds, try this: I will lose 2 pounds. Hey, that's the most I can do.)

3) Remember: the sky's your limit. Think outside of the box! (Ex: Instead of I will lose two pounds, try this: I will lose two pounds by becoming a vegetarian so that I will stop eating so many poor, innocent animals that have feelings, too and I will give that trendy Atkins diet a chance instead of always criticizing it even though it's not really a sacrifice because I never liked bread that much anyway and I will definitely eat less peanut butter because it is the very thing that it making me type so fast and say so much right now.)

Thank you and good night, everyone!

Hi everyone!

2004-12-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Monkey Hut! Named after none other than my favorite animals! This spot is mainly focused for my leisure-time writing. Or whenever I do have time to write. New years Eve is this new webbie's maiden voyage and so far, the road's been pretty smooth.

I have friends, you know. I hope you all ready knew that. And my friend Anna Infiniti has her own webbie, also a blogspot creation. Her webbie is writingspot.blogspot.com. You people should totally go and check it out sometime. Some of my articles are also published on her website, as well.

Another up-and-coming hit is the website, monkeynasium.blogspot.com. Maybe you should visit that one as well. *nudge, nudge* Well, why wouldn't you? My friend, Anna and I put our brains together and dished up one totally superb webbie for you literature-cravers out there. Now go and soak up some sun!